Evanston Scholars
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersEvanston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Evanston Scholars does
Evanston Scholars is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by ETHS alum Steve Newman (Class of '86) and a veteran Evanston Township High School English teacher. It operates a single, place-based, six-year college access and success program for first-generation college entrants, low-income students, and students of color drawn from Evanston Township High School (ETHS). The program is structured in three sequential phases — Getting TO College (admissions preparation, ACT/SAT prep, financial aid counseling), Getting THROUGH College (persistence support through the undergraduate years), and Launching A Career (internship networking and career counseling) — supported by a mentor model in which volunteers, many of them ETHS alumni, are paired with scholars for the full six-year arc. Reported outcomes include a 55% college graduation rate among enrolled students, versus a 23% national benchmark for low-income students.
The organization does not operate a technology platform; service delivery is in-person and human-led. Its product surface is centered on the six-year program and the annual POMP! benefit event, with auxiliary services such as care packages for College Scholars. The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial. Revenue is assembled from individual donations (with a Leadership Circle tier for donors giving $1,000 or more), foundation grants (notably from the Evanston Community Foundation, including a $100,000 Partners for the Future matching grant in 2016, a $50,000 anonymous donor supplement, and a $20,000 E-Town Innovation Grant in 2022), and the POMP! benefit event, which generates funds through $150 individual tickets and corporate sponsorships ranging from $550 (Honor Roll) to $30,000 (Lead Sponsor). The organization is staffed by 1-10 employees and is governed by an independent volunteer Board of Directors, with no parent company or outside equity ownership.
The go-to-market motion is community-led: students are recruited via a formal partnership with ETHS during their junior year, supported by community events, local media coverage (Evanston Round Table, Chicago Tribune), an email newsletter reaching 4,000+ subscribers (mostly Evanston residents), and a combined 3,500+ social media following. Strategic partnerships extend the program's reach without altering its geographic footprint, including collaborations with Youth & Opportunity United (Y.O.U.), Parker Dewey (career-launch internships), Northwestern University, the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA), and the Chessmen Club of the North Shore. Operating geography is restricted to Evanston, Illinois.
Evanston Scholars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Evanston Scholars
- Legal name
- Evanston Scholars
- Website
- https://evanstonscholars.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Evanston Scholars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- College Access and Success Non-profit Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services (EDAIAOAN)
Keywords
Where Evanston Scholars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Evanston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Evanston Scholars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to the organization through direct monetary donations, with a matching donor program active during certain periods. Donors who give $1,000 or more are automatically enrolled in the Leadership Circle.
- Annual Benefit Events (POMP!): The organization hosts an annual POMP! benefit event that generates revenue through ticket sales ($150 per ticket) and corporate sponsorships at various levels ($550 to $30,000). The 2026 event celebrated 15 years of Evanston Scholars.
- Foundation Grants: Evanston Scholars receives grant funding from organizations such as the Evanston Community Foundation, including a $100,000 Partners for the Future matching grant and $20,000 E-Town Innovation Grant for partnership with Y.O.U.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | POMP! Event Ticket |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Lead Sponsor - $30,000 |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Educator Sponsor - $15,000 |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Magna Cum Laude Sponsor - $6,000 |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Valedictorian Sponsor - $3,000 |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Dean's List Sponsor - $1,500 |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Honor Roll Sponsor - $550 |
| Other | One time | Donation Impact Tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Evanston Scholars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Evanston Scholars is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that improves college access and success for first-generation, low-income students, and students of color in Evanston, Illinois. It delivers a comprehensive six-year program that begins in the junior year of high school and continues through college graduation and career launch, providing workshops, one-on-one mentors, ACT/SAT preparation, college counseling, financial aid guidance, and career development support.
Product overview
Evanston Scholars operates as a single, unified nonprofit program focused on college access and success for first-generation, low-income students and students of color. The core offering is a six-year comprehensive program with three sequential phases: Getting TO College (high school preparation), Getting THROUGH College (persistence support), and Launching A Career (professional development). The organization also runs POMP!, its annual marquee benefit event, and provides care packages to college students.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- POMP!: Annual marquee benefit event that galvanizes hundreds of supporters to celebrate the success of graduates and support their futures.
Products and services
- Six-Year Comprehensive Program A six-year program supporting Evanston students from high school through college graduation and career launch, offering workshops, one-on-one mentors, ACT/SAT preparation, and college counseling. Designed for first-generation college entrants, students from low-income families, and students of color recruited through Evanston Township High School.
- POMP! Annual Benefit Event Annual benefit event that celebrates the success of Evanston Scholars graduates and raises funds for programming and support services. Open to supporters through individual tickets ($150 per ticket including buffet dinner and open bar) and corporate sponsorships at tiers from $550 to $30,000.
- Care Packages for College Scholars Physical care packages sent to Evanston Scholars College Scholars to provide encouragement and support during their college years. Funded through individual donations, with $50 covering care packages for three College Scholars.
Quantifiable outcome
- 55% of all students who enroll in college graduate (vs 23% of low-income students nationally) - Evanston Scholars alumni demonstrate higher completion rates
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Evanston Scholars
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Evanston Scholars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Evanston Scholars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Youth & Opportunity United (Y.O.U.)coreEvanston Community Foundation awarded $20,000 E-Town Innovation Grant for partnership between Y.O.U. and Evanston Scholars to expand and deepen impact and collaboration in serving Evanston youth.
- Parker DeweyminorEvanston Scholars partnered with Parker Dewey, a mission-oriented organization that connects highly motivated college students with great companies for short-term, paid, project-based remote assignments. Students can create profiles to identify and apply for opportunities.
- The Chessmen Club of the North ShoreminorEvanston Scholars received a community foundation grant in collaboration with The Chessmen Club of the North Shore, representing a joint initiative to support Evanston youth.
- Northwestern UniversityminorCollaboration on the 2017 ETHS publication 'Preparing for College Success' and general community engagement; Northwestern's financial aid initiatives benefit Evanston Scholars students.
- National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA)minorEvanston Scholars participates in NPEA member programming including the Evanston Scholar Summer Series Success, Fresh Start program for rising first-year students, and RISE Program for second-year college students.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Evanston Scholars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- uAspire: Nonprofit dedicated to ensuring all students have the financial support to attend and complete college, addressing the same first-generation and low-income college access challenge as Evanston Scholars.
- Bottom Line: Nonprofit focused on college access and degree completion for first-generation students from low-income backgrounds, with multi-year case-management support conceptually identical to Evanston Scholars' program.
- iMentor: Matches low-income students with volunteer mentors for multi-year college access and persistence support, directly comparable to Evanston Scholars' mentoring-first service model.
- OneGoal: College access and success program for low-income students operating in select U.S. cities, providing cohort-based mentoring and postsecondary persistence support comparable to Evanston Scholars.
- College Possible: National nonprofit providing college access and success coaching to low-income and first-generation students, with a multi-year mentoring continuum closely paralleling Evanston Scholars' six-year model.
Emerging players
- Opportunity Network: Nonprofit providing career and college access programming for high-achieving students from underrepresented backgrounds, overlapping in target demographics and 'career launch' focus area with Evanston Scholars.
- ScholarMatch: Scholarship and mentoring nonprofit for first-generation college students, addressing an overlapping use case (financial and mentorship support) though with a more scholarship-centric delivery model than Evanston Scholars.
Others
- National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA): Membership network of college access programs that convenes and supports organizations like Evanston Scholars; Evanston Scholars already participates in NPEA programming, evidencing a direct ecosystem relationship.
Broad incumbents
- National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC): Industry body whose Journal of College Admission featured Evanston Scholars' high-touch model. Operates broadly in the college admissions space rather than as a direct program provider.
Regional players
- Evanston Community Foundation: Local Evanston-focused foundation providing multi-year grants to Evanston Scholars. While a funder rather than a competitor, it defines the regional philanthropic ecosystem in which Evanston Scholars operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Evanston Scholars social profiles
Digital presenceEvanston Scholars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Evanston Scholars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Evanston Scholars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Evanston Scholars M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Evanston Scholars
What does Evanston Scholars do?
Evanston Scholars is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that improves college access and success for first-generation, low-income students, and students of color in Evanston, Illinois. It delivers a comprehensive six-year program that begins in the junior year of high school and continues through college graduation and career launch, providing workshops, one-on-one mentors, ACT/SAT preparation, college counseling, financial aid guidance, and career development support.
Is Evanston Scholars a public or private company?
Evanston Scholars is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Evanston Scholars founded?
Evanston Scholars was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Evanston Scholars based?
Evanston Scholars is headquartered in Evanston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Evanston Scholars make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are annual Benefit Events (POMP!) and foundation Grants.
Who are Evanston Scholars's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are uAspire, Bottom Line, iMentor, OneGoal and College Possible. Emerging players are Opportunity Network and ScholarMatch. National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA) is listed as an others. National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) is listed as a broad incumbent. Evanston Community Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does Evanston Scholars have an API?
No public API is recorded for Evanston Scholars.
What industry is Evanston Scholars in?
Evanston Scholars's product category is College Access and Success Non-profit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADAHAC, Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts, with a secondary code of EDAIAOAN, Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.